Another bite of the Artic Blast

Yep. It is frick-n-cold. Overall, in my rides both to and from work, I've been pretty warm. The key is leave no trace of bare skin to the wind beating you down like a -10ºF or less steel baseball bat. Wear just enough layers to stay warm while simultaneously not so much to induce overheating. Nothing wakes me up more than the cold Arctic air which is as irritating an alarm clock with the snooze button broken. To take my mind off the cold, I've been fooling myself to have some fun along the river on my way home with the cx tires on the frozen singletrack intermittently laced with patches of ice here and there. I just wish I had better lights. If i concentrate on straight lines on the ice, I'm good and the rolling sound over the ice is almost therapeutic, but the minute my weight shifts or I turn abruptly, I feel that it may be all over and Mr face is about to meet Mr frozen ground. Though I haven't taken a spill yet...I think I just jinxed myself.

I do have the option to drive into work, but with the combination of the car I could take to work requires shocks and brakes and convincing myself that maybe Al Gore is right with his 'An Inconvenient Truth' movie that we are causing global warming. I even have switched a few light bulbs to more energy efficient ones. By biking to work 14 miles a day 52 weeks a year, I'll save over 200 gallons a year. Which rolls over economically to about $600 a year that I don't have to spend on gas. So I pay for these cold days. However, I won't ride when it is pouring rain or sleet or heavy snow.